Before Northampton County Council demanded that Executive John Brown seek its permission for raises he unilaterally gave a dozen employees, Brown offered a solution to the dispute that's engulfed county politics for a month.

Brown said Friday he was willing to not hand out any more raises until the county's Personnel Commission could weigh in on the policy he says allows him to break from normal protocols. If the commission found he had overstepped his authority, he would discontinue the practice, he said.

In return, council would agree to let stand the raises he awarded. He called the employees innocents who had earned raises that are now at the whim of a body engaging in partisan politics.

"At the end of the day, we have to do what's in the highest and best interest of the county," Brown said.

Instead, council on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution threatening him with financial sanctions if he did not present the raises for its consideration at a June 18 meeting. The Home Rule Charter states council sets and controls employees' salaries, and proposed raises have historically been presented as separate items for council's consideration.

Brown on Friday was noncommittal about whether he would comply with council's demand.

Brown and county solicitor Ryan Durkin contend that the executive can award raises through an obscure clause in an employee policies manual. Though the manual grants council the power to control salaries, the clause allows the executive to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

Brown said he, Durkin, Councilman Glenn Geissinger and council solicitor Phil Lauer had heated negotiations about Brown's proposal May 14. While council rejected the plan, he said the productive discussion laid the groundwork for future talks.

"It is my hope and intention that this will bring both bodies into a much tighter relationship," Brown said.

Documents obtained by The Morning Call show Brown awarded raises to at least a dozen employees, ranging from clerical staffers to Deputy Director of Administration Cathy Allen. While most of the raises bumped salaries up 4.5 percent, others hiked pay 14 to 30 percent, according to records.

Without naming anyone, Brown blamed the strained relationship on political partisans on council. While some are acting in good faith, he said, others are more concerned about creating headlines or scoring points than in building good government.

"They like to engage in public forums — usually accompanied by some slings and arrows," Brown said. "No matter what's brought up at council, it's become a target."

Part of the frustrations stem from a lack of communication among the administration, employees and council members, he said. Brown acknowledged he has instructed employees not to release information directly to council members at their request. The change in protocol is intended to ensure the information is accurate and that employees are not being needlessly pulled away from their normal duties.

Councilman Hayden Phillips, a fellow Republican, insisted that Thursday's vote was not a partisan decision but the voice of a unified council. While he's sympathetic to the pressure Brown must be under, the only way Phillips was willing to let a third party decide the matter was through a lawsuit before a judge.